Falling on your face
by AgentOfAngst
Summary: Dewey suggests the triplets take up the different types of skating, and Louie realizes that he's not like his brothers


**When the show first started I immediately and epically gravitated towards Huey and declared him my favorite, but as the show continued, I really fell for Louie's character, and I get excited every time we get a new trait. So I just wanted to play with where Louie might see himself fitting in with the triplets. Enjoy! **

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Louie crossed his padded arms and sat down, refusing to skate. He'd gotten the last pick when it came to skating, and he'd gotten stuck with roller skates. Which was actually a fancy way of saying he'd gotten stuck with face plants and knee pads.

"Let's take up skating," he muttered bitterly, imitating Dewey's eager voice, "let's each try a different type of skating," he continued, glaring at his bruises.

"You've got to keep trying!" Dewey insisted, as he casually circled Louie on a skateboard.

"I hope you crash!" Louie snapped, knowing Dewey wasn't going to crash. He stood, wobbled on wheels, and landed back on his rump. Then he fought with the straps of his roller skates, deciding to check on Huey instead.

Huey didn't make him feel any better. Huey glided with graceful precision on an ice rink that Gizmo had been able to set up. Louie gritted his teeth and left after a couple of jumps and spins. His brothers were progressing to tricks and he was stuck on standing up. The asphalt was becoming quite familiar, and he was realizing what it felt like to be Uncle Scrooge's plane. He gave himself a few seconds to strap the rollerblades back on, watching Dewey fly across the road on his skateboard.

"Hey, can I join you? Dewey said he only had one skateboard, and Huey didn't notice I was there." Louie glanced over and saw Webby, pair of skates in hand.

"Yeah, why not? I'm not very good though." Webby laughed.

"Me neither, but I've always wanted to go to the roller rink." Louie looked a little embarrassed.

"That sounds incredibly visible."

"Yeah, but your brothers wouldn't be there," she pointed out. Louie stood abruptly with new determination.

"Let's go!" Then he promptly fell on his face.

Louie was a little out of his comfort zone with this one. He didn't love scenarios where he didn't seem as smooth and chill as he preferred to appear. And that included anywhere where he had to wear skates. If it were up to him, he would be trying to get a high score on one of the few arcade games, or score a free piece of greasy pizza by sweet talking the employees. Instead, he and Webby took to the floor. Webby was wobbly too, but she seemed at ease in her failures. She didn't seem to mind if people saw her fall on her face. But it completely went against the persona Louie chose to display, calm, collected, and maybe, potentially, slightly better than other people. Just a little bit. But now he looked like he actually felt, like a mess, or a failure. His brothers had actual talent, and he... Tried. But he found himself falling on his face time and time again.

"Huey's really good at ice skating," Louie lamented as Webby helped him up. She shrugged.

"Why does what your brothers are good at matter to you? You're Louie Duck-"

"Exactly, I'm Louie Duck, the last one, the unexceptional one." Webby snorted.

"What are you talking about? Don't be stupid. You're awesome." It was Louie's turn to snort.

"What planet are you living on, Webby? I'm nothing like you or them or Uncle Scrooge or Donald or even Della! I'm not special! Why do you think I try so hard-" He fell on his face, forcing himself up and leaving the floor to undo his skates. He kinda hid then, between the pinball and the pep machines, a little embarrassed by what he'd said. Because the Louie persona wasn't supposed to look like he tried hard, or even like he tried at all. And it was kind of mortifying to admit that he was so insecure about everything, that he felt like he couldn't live up to the legacies his family had left.

"Hey, Louie?" Webby asked, crouching down as he pretended the rest of the world didn't exist, his knees up to his chest and his head in his arms.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have stormed off, can we just go home? And can you not mention this to anyone?"

"I won't tell anyone but... What did you mean you try so hard?" Louie sighed and nudged the pep machine, having recognized what make and model this machine was and needing the emotional support of his favorite beverage. A pep rolled out and he took the first sip. None of the other sips were as good and frankly, he was appalled that no one else understood that.

"Did you just steal that?" Webby asked, mouth agape.

"I exploited a loophole in a broken system. Now, do you want to know what I meant or not?"

"Okay, yeah, tell me." Webby grabbed a seat on the questionable roller rink carpet and Louie set down his drink.

"I shouldn't have mentioned it, but yeah, I'm trying. Everyone's always trying I guess, but it comes so naturally to Huey and Dewey. Sometimes I think I have Uncle Donald's bad luck, but he's still put together where it matters. I'm not put together at all."

"But you're Louie Duck," Webby interjected, "the one who gets out of trouble."

"Trouble I put myself in, mostly. It's all a freaking lie Webby. You can't always talk yourself out of everything and I'm terrified for the day when that stops working. I'd kill for a skill or two, something tangible to hold on to. But I'm not good for anything! I can't even stand up on stupid skates."

"I don't think that's true, Louie. I think you're special because you're trying. Sometimes things come easy to people and it's great for them, but it's even cooler when people work hard to get where they are. Think of the difference between Mark Beaks and Uncle Scrooge." Louie sighed.

"I just, I don't know where I've gotten to. I feel like every time I try I fall."

"And you get back up."

"No, I usually quit."

"I see you, Louie, you might quit for a while but you come back to the things you care about. You would never quit your family, you would never stop trying for them. You don't have to seem like you're perfect or pulled together. People are going to appreciate who you become for all the bruises you got on the way." Louie glanced at his friend and then at his skates and smiled.

"Hey, Webby?" He asked as he stood and helped her up.

"Yeah?"

"I want you to know that you're one of the people I look up to." Webby smiled.

"You too, Llewelyn."

"Never, ever call me that." He laughed, offering her the rest of his pep as they headed home.


End file.
